Published: August 2, 2025
Today, two chapters are posted simultaneously.
This is the first chapter.
The hunt for the mud salamanders is a task that demands a lot of stamina.
That was expected, but it wasn’t as simple as just repeating the same work over and over.
Once the first net was pulled up, the fish inside were transferred into baskets. During that time, they made sure that the schools of fish trying to move from the lake up onto the beach wouldn’t get through.
The fish packed into the baskets were either taken to the processing plant or loaded onto ships bound for other towns. But groups would sometimes try to ambush these shipments, so they had to respond flexibly—sending escorts or reinforcements as needed.
Once all the remaining fish after the ship’s departure were brought to the processing plant, the mud salamanders’ attacks would focus on one point, leading to an all-out battle against the charging swarm.
Because the hunt was carried out alongside the fishing, they always had to adjust their movements according to the constantly changing fishing situation.
And just how many mud salamanders were there anyway...?
Though the intensity fluctuated, as they had heard, the mud salamander attacks continued until the sun was high in the sky, and the beautiful beach was littered with countless corpses... It was astonishing that this would continue for so many days.
"Alright, no more reinforcements. Gather up those guys lying on the beach! Prepare to withdraw!"
"Roger!"
The leader, a male adventurer, spoke, and the people who had been quietly handling the hunt perked up.
They tightened their resolve for one last task, gathered the bodies on the beach, and finished the work.
"Hey, good job."
"Mr. Kai. And everyone else, thank you for your hard work."
"Thanks~"
"Today’s work is done."
"Ryoma-kun seems alright. Well, with this kind of job, people who aren’t used to it usually either burn out halfway or push themselves too hard."
"Such endurance for your age..."
"I'm confident only in my stamina, after all."
Everyone from Shikum’s pier gathered as well. I wondered what they would do next.
"As for us? We'll rest for now or have lunch."
"Since it was an early start, it’s about time for a break."
Hearing that from Mr. Sain reminded me — yeah, it was about that time.
"Usually, we decide what to do next while eating, so let’s start with the meal."
When leader Mr. Shin said that, everyone agreed.
I thought we might be heading to someone’s house, but instead, we went to the fish processing plant we had been protecting earlier.
"Big sis, six meals, please."
"Sure thing! Take a seat!"
As soon as I entered through the wide-open door, a hearty voice called out.
"Oh, Ms. Mei?"
"My sister works here. Actually, most women in our village work here."
"The processing work goes on in the afternoon too. Rather than everyone going home to prepare their own meals, it’s easier to get everyone’s lunch ready here. So, the fishermen and their families usually eat here."
"I see."
Sure enough, the large room we stepped into was already filled with many men starting their meal.
We found empty seats and sat down, and shortly after, Mei-san and two kids about my age brought over trays with food.
"Here you go! Today’s a delicious vegetable soup!"
"Oh, vegetables — that’s a nice change."
"Thank you."
"…Oh."
Hmm? Did the boy who brought the food just glance our way?
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it’s nothing."
He was probably curious because I was a kid from somewhere else.
But rather than dwell on that, I decided to eat before the food got cold.
Today’s lunch was bread and vegetable soup.
The soup had big chunks of ingredients that looked delicious.
"Let’s eat."
...Yeah. It really tastes good.
The soup had daikon radish, burdock root, and lotus root, with a hint of mustard flavor.
Since coming to this village, I’ve been feeling a strange sense of nostalgia in my taste buds.
"Phew... this really warms you up."
"Hey, kid, you were part of the hunt. Good work."
"Ah, thank you."
"Oh, you’re the kid who was running so hard earlier. Eat up."